Making Friends Partnership
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Doncaster for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2022. Open since 2015, with 60 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Doncaster
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Doncaster from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
DN8 4SBWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 22 February 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive in this safe setting due to the caring, respectful relationships promoted by staff. They receive lots of praise and because of this, and the nurturing provided by staff, children are confident, enthusiastic learners. Children happily approach adults for cuddles and support. For example, a baby benefits from lots of eye contact and cuddles as a practitioner dangles bells above them. As a result of this, the baby is happy and engaged. Children settle into their day very quickly, supported by staff who greet them and take them to their rooms. Children demonstrate good behaviour, which is positively role modelled and encouraged by all staff. Children learn to use manners and develop independence from a very young age.
Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children respond positively to the carefully planned activities, displaying good levels of concentration as they engage.
This is supported by the staff, who carefully provide narratives and introduce new vocabulary to the children as they play. The manager plans trips to provisions in the local environment. Children regularly access the local bakery, library and sensory play spaces. All of these activities serve to widen children's knowledge and understanding. Additional funding is spent wisely on external services such as 'sing and sign' activities. This results in all children making good progress.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve activities around oral health so that they are fully effective, meaningful and appropriate for the age of the children n ensure the correct language is modelled by all staff consistently to fully support children's developing vocabulary.
- 22 February 2022Good
- 12 January 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Making Friends Partnership
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.